1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in means and methods for frying food such as cut chicken. More particularly, the invention has to do with simultaneously placing a plurality of food pieces in a frying vessel, and after a sufficient interval, simultaneously inverting all the food pieces in the frying vessel, and finally removing all the food pieces simultaneously from the frying vessel.
2. Description of Related Art
The invention involves the use of means for holding or confining food so that the same can be manipulated in carrying out the method of the invention briefly alluded to above.
U.S. Pat. No. 101,236 which issued Mar. 29, 1870, to Denman et al discloses a wire basket for holding meat and which may be hingedly opened and closed. The basket is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis above a fire so that the meat may be broiled.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,205,461 which issued Nov. 21, 1916, to McCullock discloses hingedly connected gridirons for holding meat in broiling environment. The handles of the gridirons can be used for inverting the meat.
U.S. Pat. No. 637,619 which issued to Flamzberg on Dec. 4, 1906, discloses a meta holder that includes hingedly connected parts having perforate top and bottom plates, the central bottom portion of the lower plate is provided with a depending water vaporizer to keep meat moist during broiling operations.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,070,263 which issued on Aug. 12, 1913, to Knoblock discloses a toaster bearing considerable similarity to U.S. Pat. No. 637,619.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 924,336, 933,545 and 1,010,887 which issued to Helen R. French during the years 1909-1911 are of some pertinence in that two cooking plates are provided in a skillet with one of such plates being pivoted to invert and fold the food cooking thereon over onto the food cooking on the other plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,593 which issued on Dec. 4, 1979, to Terzian discloses a combined stove and support for side-by-side support of two skillets at predetermined positions. The stove also provides a pivotal connection for one of the skillets so that it may be pivotally inverted and superposed on the other skillet to constitute a closed cover for the latter.
The following U.S. patents are of interest in that each of them discloses hingedly connected and superposed skillets for releasably containing food therebetween. Handles of the skillets are juxtaposed when the skillets are closed, whereby the user can selectively invert the skillets to place first one and then the other on the surface of a stove:
U.S. Pat. No. 951,065 issued to Ferguson on Mar. 1, 1910;
U.S. Pat. No. 1,410,818 issued to McCargar on Mar. 28, 1922;
U.S. Pat. No. 1,987,594 issued to Chiles et al on Jan. 15, 1935;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,061,610 issued to Burnette on Nov. 24, 1936; and
U.S. Pat. No. 366,860 issued to Morgan on July 19, 1887.